Gendered differences in the prevalence and associated factors of dementia in Ghana: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Dementia as a global phenomenon has received significant attention in research due to the adverse effects it has on the daily functioning of its victims. Despite studies conducted in relation to the prevalence and associated factors of dementia in Ghana, not much attention has been paid to the influence of gender. The study, therefore, focused on estimating gender differences in the prevalence and associated factors of dementia in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Exposure to substance and current substance among school-going adolescents in Timor-Leste.

Few studies have examined how exposure to substance influences adolescent's use of substance in Timor-Leste. We assessed this relationship using nationally representative data from Timor-Leste to address this gap. Data was pulled from the 2015 Timor-Leste Global school-based student health survey.

Prevalence and determinants of breast self-examination practices among women in their reproductive age in Namibia: an analysis of the 2013 Namibia demographic and Health Survey.

Background: In resource-constrained settings like Namibia, breast self-examination (BSE) is considered an important cost-effective intervention that is critical to the early detection of breast cancer, and better prognosis. Even though BSE is a simple, quick, and cost-free procedure, its practice varies across different contexts. Knowing the determinants of BSE is necessary to inform the implementation of policies and targeted interventions to improve the practice across the population.

Multiple sexual partnership among adolescent boys and young men in Ghana: analysis of the 2003-2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

Background: Multiple sexual partnership (MSP) is a major cause of HIV/AIDS epidemic and unplanned pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigate how individual, household, interpersonal, community and structural factors correlate with multiple sexual partnership of adolescent boys and young men in Ghana.

Methods: We pooled secondary data from the 2003, 2008 and 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys (GDHS).

Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender.

Background: COVID-19 and its associated social restrictive measures and lockdowns exacerbated the use of social media and other technological facilities for communication. This study, therefore, examined Ghanaian students' social media use and its relationship with fear of COVID-19, paying close attention to the moderating role of gender.

Methods: A correlational online survey was used to collect data from a purposive sample of 209 University students in June and July 2020.

HIV Testing among sexually active Ghanaians: an examination of the rural-urban correlates.

HIV testing is critical in reducing the risk of HIV transmission. We investigated the rural-urban correlates of HIV testing amongst sexually active Ghanaians using data from the 2017/2018 Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Six (GMICS 6). Robust Poisson models (reporting Adjusted Prevalence Ratios (APR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs)) were used to achieve this aim.

Rural-urban variation in exclusion from social activities due to menstruation among adolescent girls and young women in Ghana.

Menstruation among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) can be marked by several challenges that often result in exclusion from social activities. Information regarding this subject matter is however sparse in Ghana. This study examined the rural-urban differences in prevalence and correlates of exclusion from social activities due to menstruation among AGYW in Ghana.

Bullying and truancy amongst school-going adolescents in Timor-Leste: results from the 2015 global school-based health survey.

Introduction: Studies in Southeast Asia found that bullying commonly occurred among students, and it has a detrimental impact on their school attendance. However, there is a paucity of literature in Timor-Leste on the association between bullying and truancy. Therefore, this study examined the association between bullying and truancy among Timor-Leste school-going adolescents.

Determinants of life satisfaction among Ghanaians aged 15 to 49 years: A further analysis of the 2017/2018 Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey.

The inclusion of life satisfaction in government policies as a tracker of the social and economic progress of citizens has been recommended. This has encouraged the scientific investigation of life satisfaction levels of people in tandem with factors responsible for these levels. Only a few studies have attempted to do this in Ghana with mixed findings.

Prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with vision difficulties in Ghana, Gambia, and Togo: a multi-country analysis of recent multiple Indicator cluster surveys.

Background: The sense of sight is one of the important human sensory abilities that is required for independent functioning and survival. The highest burden of sight-related problems is recorded in low-and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the burden, nationally representative analyses to understand the prevalence and determinants of vision difficulties are hard to find.

Relationship between mothers'/caregivers' reported learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) of children aged 5-17 years in Ghana.

Background: Children with learning difficulties are vulnerable to internalizing symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression. However, only few studies have examined this relationship in low-and-middle-income countries using a nationally representative data.

Aims: This study aimed to examine the relationship between learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms of children aged 5-17 years in Ghana while controlling for covariates.

Fear of COVID-19: Psychological distress and coping among university students in Ghana.

The advent of the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the psychological well-being of many people. This study examined the relationship between fear of COVID-19, psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) and coping strategies adopted by undergraduate students in Ghana. A sample of 209 students were recruited to complete online surveys on fear of COVID-19, psychological distress and coping strategies between June and July 2020.

Correlates of child functional difficulties status in Ghana: A further analysis of the 2017/18 multiple indicator cluster survey.

Background: Functional difficulties have long-term implications for children's physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and academic growth and development. Although the subject of functional difficulties has received enough scholarly attention in the developed world, few studies have addressed the issue in Ghana. Therefore, the study aimed to regress child, maternal and household and geographical level factors associated with the functional difficulty of children in Ghana.

Sources of perceived social support on resilience amongst parents raising children with special needs in Ghana.

Background: While parenting a child with special needs is burdensome, some parents do overcome through protective resources. Social support has been widely linked to this unique ability to overcome the challenges of raising a child with special needs. In spite of this, there is still paucity of research about the influence of the sources of perceived social support on this ability, known as resilience.

Spirituality and subjective well-being of Ghanaian parents of children with special needs: The mediating role of resilience.

The study explored the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between spirituality and subjective well-being of 107 Ghanaian biological parents raising children with special needs. Results from mediational analyses revealed that spirituality indirectly influenced life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect through resilience. Specifically, greater levels of spirituality predicted greater resilience, which successively led to greater life satisfaction, greater positive affect and reduced negative affect.